Compositions, systems, devices, and methods for performing precise chemical treatment of tissues are disclosed. Systems, devices, and methods for administering a chemical agent to one or more a precise regions within a tissue mass are disclosed. Compositions, systems, devices, and methods for treating targeted regions within a tissue mass are disclosed. Systems, devices, and methods for identifying, localizing, monitoring neural traffic in the vicinity of, quantifying neural traffic in the vicinity of, and mapping neural traffic near targeted regions within a tissue mass are disclosed.

An implantable device comprising a substrate capable of capturing an intraocular target molecule and to methods of use thereof. The substrate may be capable of capturing a target molecule present in the eye and/or from fluid of the eye (e.g., an intraocular target molecule). In some embodiments, the substrate has a relatively high affinity for a target molecule.

The present invention provides peptidic TGF-β antagonists capable of inhibiting TGF-β signaling and disrupting the biochemical events that promote fibrosis and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The peptidic TGF-β antagonist may contain from 11 to 28 amino acid residues (for instance, may consist of from 12 to 16 amino acid residues) and may have the following structure (II):
NH.sub.2′ETWIWLDTNMG-Xaa.sub.1-Y′COOH  (II)
wherein Xaa.sub.1 is any amino acid and Y is a peptide having from 0 to 9 amino acids. The peptidic TGF-β antagonists can advantageously be used for the prevention, treatment, and/or alleviation of the symptoms of a condition associated with an increase in TGF-β activity, including fibrosis (such as fibrosis of the skin, liver, lungs, and heart, among others) and cancer (including various carcinomas, such as squamous cell carcinoma, sarcomas, and metastatic cancers).

A therapeutic microporous hydrogel scaffold for use in an animal is disclosed that releases one or more therapeutic agents or drugs. The scaffold uses a drug-releasing microporous annealed particle system that encapsulates drug-loaded nanoparticles into particle building blocks. By modulating nanoparticle hydrophilicity and pre-gel solution viscosity, the particle building blocks were generated with consistent and homogeneous encapsulation of nanoparticles. The scaffold may be used to treat myocardial infarction (MI) using, for example, the drugs forskolin (F) and Repsox (R). The intramyocardial injection of the pre-annealed hydrogel slurry of particles that formed the resultant scaffold improved left ventricular functions, which were further enhanced with increased angiogenesis and reduced fibrosis and inflammatory response. This therapeutic microporous hydrogel scaffold platform represents a new generation of microgel particles for MI therapy and will have broad applications in regenerative medicine and disease therapy.

Hemostatic devices for promoting blood clotting can include a substrate (e.g., gauze, textile, sponge, sponge matrix, one or more fibers, etc.), a hemostatic material disposed thereon such as kaolin clay, and a binder material such as crosslinked calcium alginate with a high guluronate monomer molar percentage disposed on the substrate to substantially retain the hemostatic material material. When the device is used to treat a bleeding wound, at least a portion of the clay material comes into contact with blood to accelerate clotting. Moreover, when exposed to blood, the binder has low solubility and retains a majority of the clay material on the gauze. A bandage that can be applied to a bleeding wound to promote blood clotting includes a flexible substrate and a gauze substrate mounted thereon.

A coating for an expandable portion of a catheter comprising a lipophilic matrix and a plurality of micro-reservoirs dispersed in the lipophilic matrix is disclosed. The plurality of micro-reservoirs comprises an active agent. A coating formulation and a method for forming the coating are also disclosed. A catheter comprising the coating on the expandable portion and a method for treating a condition are also provided.

The present invention provides a method of promoting local bone growth by administering a therapeutic amount of a Sost antagonist to a mammalian patient in need thereof. Preferably, the Sost antagonist is an antibody or FAB fragment selectively recognizing any one of SEQ ID NOS: 1-23. The Sost antagonist may be coadministered together or sequentially with a matrix conducive to anchoring new bone growth. Orthopedic and Periodontal devices comprising an implantable portion adapted to be permanently implanted within a mammalian body and bearing an external coating of a Sost antagonist are also disclosed, as it a method of increasing bone density by administering to a mammalian patient a therapeutic amount of a Sost antagonist together with an antiresorptive drug.

The present invention provides a method of promoting local bone growth by administering a therapeutic amount of a Sost antagonist to a mammalian patient in need thereof. Preferably, the Sost antagonist is an antibody or FAB fragment selectively recognizing any one of SEQ ID NOS: 1-23. The Sost antagonist may be coadministered together or sequentially with a matrix conducive to anchoring new bone growth. Orthopedic and Periodontal devices comprising an implantable portion adapted to be permanently implanted within a mammalian body and bearing an external coating of a Sost antagonist are also disclosed, as it a method of increasing bone density by administering to a mammalian patient a therapeutic amount of a Sost antagonist together with an antiresorptive drug.

The present invention relates to the prevention and treatment of implant associated complications; e.g. foreign body response (FBR). High mechanical stress at the implant-tissue interface activates a sustained inflammatory response, which is primarily responsible for implant associated complications and implant failure. In particular, described herein are apparatuses, devices, and compositions containing inhibitors of mechanotransduction, and methods of making and using such apparatuses, devices and compositions. These apparatuses, devices, compositions, and methods are useful for preventing or reducing unwanted fibrosis, inflammation or cancer that result from implantation of a biomedical implant in an individual. One aspect of the invention provides a biomedical device including an effective amount of a composition containing a mechanotransduction inhibitor for preventing, inhibiting or treating implant associated complications.

The present invention provides methods for identification of distinct macrophage subsets which demonstrate previously unrecognized myeloid macrophage phenotypes involved in different tissue responses and provide new methods for therapeutic modulation of certain pathologic tissue states and tissue repair.